Taxonomy and Distribution of Teosinte, Maize's Wild Relatives Five species of Zea are currently recognized: - Zea diploperennis: a perennial, diploid teosinte found in very limited regions of the highlands of Western Mexico
- Zea perennis: a perennial, tetraploid teosinte, also with a very narrow distribution in the highlands of Western Mexico
- Zea luxurians: an annual teosinte found in the more equatorial regions of southeastern Guatemala and Honduras
- Z. nicaraguensis (Iltis and Benz, 2000): closely related to Zea luxurians and found in very mesic environments in Nicaragua
- Zea mays: a highly polymorphic, diploid annual species, including both wild teosinte and cultivated maize
This last species, Zea mays, is further divided into four subspecies. Some of these subspecies could also be considered species: - Z. mays ssp. huehuetenangensis, an annual teosinte found in a few highlands of northwestern Guatemala
- Z. mays ssp. mexicana, an annual teosinte from the highlands of central and northern Mexico
- Z. mays ssp. parviglumis, an annual teosinte, common in the middle and low elevations of southwestern Mexico
- Z. mays ssp. mays, maize or “Indian corn,” most likely domesticated in the Balsas river valley of southern Mexico
DOEBLEY, J., 1990 Molecular systematics of Zea (Gramineae). Maydica 35: 143-150.
DOEBLEY, J. F., and H. H. ILTIS., 1980 Taxonomy of Zea (Gramineae) I. A subgeneric classification with key to taxa. American Journal of Botany 67: 982-993. ILTIS, H. H., 1972 The taxonomy of Zea mays (Gramineae). Phytologia 23: 248-249. ILTIS, H. H., and J. F. DOEBLEY, 1980 Taxonomy of Zea (Gramineae). II. Subspecific categories in the Zea mays complex and generic synopsis. American Journal of Botany 67: 994-1004. WILKES, H. G., 1967 Teosinte: the closest relative of maize. The Bussey Inst. of Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA.
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